1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to tools for cleaning the toilet area and more specifically to a combination toilet plunger, brush and accessory tool in which the brush, plunger and accessories are configured to be selectively and removably coupled to the same handle.
2. State of the Art
Toilet plungers, toilet brushes, and mops or sponges have been used for many years. Their general structure, methods of manufacture, function and usefulness are well known. A conventional plunger is generally made of some form of resilient rubber material that includes a concave region. When a toilet plunger is pressed against a surface or into an opening, the space of the concave region is depressed and suction is created as the concave region is moved back to its original shape. Plungers are commonly used for forcing water into and suctioning matter out of drains and other plumbing fixtures. For convenience in manipulating the plunging end of the plunger, toilet plungers include a long, straight, rounded handle rod that the user grasps when moving the plunger up and down.
Conventional toilet brushes include a plurality of flexible bristles extending from a center rod or a bristle surface. The rod or surface is generally coupled to a handle for easy manipulation. The handle for a toilet brush is generally much shorter than the handle of a plunger (⅓ to ⅔ the length). Methods and materials for making and using toilet brushes, like plungers, are well known in the art.
Sponges and small mops for cleaning around the toilet area on the rim, exterior of the bowl, and floor surface have also been used for many years. Their general structure, methods of manufacture, function and usefulness are fairly well known. Typically, the sponge may also have a second surface with a more abrasive or scrubby type of material on one side to scrape away any additional hard-to-remove materials. Small mop heads that consist of multiple sponge like arms or tentacles may also be connected to one handle and are used to clean in and around the toilet bowl area.
Storage of toilet brushes, toilet plungers, and sponges are conventionally maintained somewhere in the bathroom and are generally very unsightly. Toilet brushes and plungers are generally stored separately, each having an elongated handle that requires tall or wide storage space. In recent years, short plastic cases or caddies have been used to enclose and store the bristle portion of the brush on the floor next to the toilet. The storage of these items in multiple areas such as under the cabinet or in various other locations around the home can be problematic when it comes to finding or using each cleaning device in a bathroom. Conventionally, plungers do not have a convenient storage caddy or hidden location for storage other than in a cupboard and even there the size and shape of the plunger makes storage difficult; particularly when the plunger is wet from cleaning a toilet.
Others have created combination brush and plunger tools that are not designed, intended or practical for many uses, including use with a toilet. In U.S. Design Pat. No. D274,273 to Auerbach (Jun. 12, 1984), Auerbach discloses a design for a garbage disposal thrust “plunger” and related brush. Different from a toilet plunger which creates suction to draw clogged materials from a drain, however, the plunger of Auerbach is a thrust stick to push items into a garbage disposal with short, rigid bristles on the end for scrubbing the disposal fixtures. The Auerbach tool could not be used to unclog a toilet by suction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,605 to Hoerner et al. (Apr. 8, 1997) discloses a sink drain cleaning tool including a cleaning brush and thrust “plunger” handle at one end, a shield plate in the middle, and a brush handle at the other end. Use of this tool requires the user to grasp the brush end of the tool to thrust plunge and the plunger end to brush. It is likely that the user's hand will come in contact with contaminated tool surfaces during use.